Michael Earl Patton for Cincinnati City Council

Endorsement: Hamilton County Libertarian Party

It is with great pleasure that I announce my recent endorsement by the Hamilton County Libertarian Party. (The Liberarians do point out that they are not calling me a “Libertarian,” but they are endorsing me for City Council.)

Please take some time to explore my website, as labels alone cannot truly denote the totality of someone’s political being. This website will have many in depth perspectives so you can get to know me.

I know the issues!

September 2nd, 2007 Posted by michaelearlpatton | Cincinnati

Why I Am Running…

I am running for Cincinnati City Council because I love the people of Cincinnati and want them to get a fair deal from council. Laws need to be evenly enforced or struck from the books. Access to our government should not depend upon special connections or money.

Bus System

Cincinnati needs a city-wide bus system, but now pays too much for what it is getting. Residents and workers in the city pay a .3% income tax for public transportation, as is mandated by Article VIII, Section 6c of the Cincinnati City Charter. This provides almost all of the local funding for the bus system. There is no county-wide tax, nor do most of the other cities and villages pay into the system. The county appoints the 9-member board which operates the Metro bus system, called SORTA (Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority). The city recommends 4 of the 9 members that the country appoints, and even if all 4 are appointed by the county this is not enough to control the board. This means that the city pays for the bus system, but the county operates it, deciding where the busses should go and how often they run.My position is that since Cincinnati pays for the bus system it should operate it for the benefit of its residents, not for the benefit of county residents who do not pay taxes for it. In some cases Cincinnati may well decide that it is to its benefit to provide service to certain areas outside of Cincinnati. But it is Cincinnati which should decide. If Cincinnati decides that bus service to some cities, township, and villages does not make economic sense and those places want the bus service, then they should pay enough to cover the cost of that service.

Crime

It should be obvious, but crime is best prevented when the community and the police work together. Basically, the community are the eyes and ears of the police. They report the crimes, they report where illegal drugs are sold and where the crack houses are, and they report what they saw and heard when a crime was committed. Any proposal to reduce crime that does not recognize this fact is almost certain to fail. In Cincinnati, the relationship between community and police varies greatly by neighborhood. Where it is weak, it must be strengthened. Both the community and the police must be encouraged to work together. …Read More

September 2nd, 2007 Posted by michaelearlpatton | Cincinnati, Crime, Police

Police

This is the issue that is the most important for me and convinced me I had to run for council. It is wrong to judge the entire police force by the misdeeds of a few, and it is wrong to excuse the misdeeds of the very few because of the good work of the many. Two wrongs do not make a right. The Cincinnati Police and the law-abiding community must support and respect each other. Those who bash all police are harming the community, along with those who deny that there is any problem at all. I have found that a simple phrase, such as “pro-police” or “pro-reform” does not and cannot describe what needs to be done. In some parts of the Cincinnati community there is a good relationship, in other parts it is greatly strained. For instance Oakley, where I have lived for over twenty years, is in police district 2 and has a very good relationship. In Walnut Hills, where I have a small apartment building and is in police district 4, it is otherwise. …Read More

September 2nd, 2007 Posted by michaelearlpatton | Cincinnati, Crime, Police